


MAG039 - Murmuration

by ErinsWorks



Series: The Magnus Records [20]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: AU: The entities are nice and the world is awful., Alternate Universe, Canon ATYPICAL amount of Birds, Canon typical amount of Worms Inside People, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22785052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinsWorks/pseuds/ErinsWorks
Summary: Murmurationnoun1. A flock of starlings.2. (Literary) The action of murmuring.The Flock has arrived in the Sanctuary.Start your purification. Share your cure.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims (implied)
Series: The Magnus Records [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497773
Comments: 16
Kudos: 60





	MAG039 - Murmuration

**MAG039 – Resident N/A – "Murmuration"**

[CLICK]

[COUGHING. HARD COUGHING. THE THUD OF SOMEONE FALLING ON THEIR OWN WEIGHT. MORE, HELPLESS, COUGHING.]

**SASHA**

_ Jesus,  _ Jon, I can't just…  _ leave you here. _

**KEEPER**

You can, and you're going to. You're going to find everyone else in the sanctuary who hasn't already been infected, and you're going to tell them to quarantine the records room until our med team has scraped it clean of  _ any trace  _ of silverworm. And, most of all, you're going to tell Elias to get a new Records Keeper. Because I think I'm dying.  _ (More heavy coughing.) _

**SASHA**

You can't be  _ dying,  _ you  _ idiot,  _ you just said you tested negative! 

**KEEPER**

It's like Prentiss said, in her letter. It'll develop, and mutate, and suddenly I've gone from uninfected to  _ dying  _ within the weeks. And that means you need to  _ get. Away. From me. _

**MARTIN**

Is everything alright?? What's…

Oh.

**KEEPER**

Sorry, Martin.  _ (Heavy coughing) _

If it's any consolation, you'll have the Records Room to yourself again, soon.

**MARTIN**

Sasha, Sasha, we have to… we have to get him to treatment or something-

**KEEPER**

_ (Somber laugh, quickly devolving into more coughs.)  _ Not at this stage. All it'll do is draw out the pain and put my doctors at risk of infection. And I can't have that.

**MARTIN**

But you can't just… you can't just lie down and die like this!

**SASHA**

Why not? Nothing's stopping him.

**KEEPER**

Not helpful.

**SASHA**

Hmph.

**KEEPER**

She's right though. Nothing's stopping me, and nothing will. If I'm going to die filled to the brim with parasitic worms, why not die here?

**MARTIN**

I… You…

[MARTIN WALKS AWAY, MUMBLING IN DISTRESS]

**KEEPER**

Martin? Martin, come back!

[SILENCE]

Damnit.

**SASHA**

… Jesus.

Looks like you're spending your last hours alone now, Sims. Tough break.

**KEEPER**

_ (Coughing through laughs) _ I’m not alone. You're here.

**SASHA**

I know! Obviously. I just meant… Friendless.

**KEEPER**

I know what you meant. Like I said, you're here.

**SASHA**

… Jon, you're not my friend.

**KEEPER**

Well… you're _ my  _ friend. I think. As much of an irritant as you are, you are among the three people in this Sanctuary I hold most dear. I admit it. 

… I know you're hiding something from me. From everyone. And that's fine, but… I think it's tearing you apart. If I've learned anything from this job, its the value of sharing secrets with something you trust.

I'm not saying that's  _ me. _ But… I can be here for you.

[SILENCE.]

**SASHA**

_ (Breathing unsteadily.)  _ Don't pretend you know me. You don't know me.

[SASHA LEAVES, SLAMMING THE DOOR.]

**KEEPER**

_ (Sighs)  _ … And then there was one.

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

**MARTIN**

Sorry for… For running off, earlier.

**KEEPER**

It's fine. I'm just happy to have somewhere more comfortable to sit.

… I like what you've done with this little corner. It's cozy.

**MARTIN**

Oh! Thank you! I uhm. I spend a lot of time here, writing poetry, and things. So I… tried to make it feel like home.

**KEEPER**

You've done a fantastic job.

**MARTIN**

… Thank you. It means a lot.

**KEEPER**

You're more than welcome.

Martin, we don't talk as often as we should. You said you write poetry?

**MARTIN**

Jon, I'm not going to do this.

**KEEPER**

I don't understand.

**MARTIN**

Yes you do. I'm not going to sit here and make small talk and pretend you're not  _ dying _ . That  _ I'm _ not dying. That we both aren't full of  _ worm eggs. _ That… That things aren't  _ miserable.  _ I mean, seriously Jon! Why do you do this?  _ How  _ do you do this?

**KEEPER**

How do I do what?

**MARTIN**

How do you just… ignore so much? I heard you reading that interview about the necklace, and it was  _ insane!  _ It was madness, and you didn't say a word against it! You just  _ believed it _ at face value, and ignored everything that didn't make sense! You used to be the most skeptical over-detailing man in the world, and now you just… I just don't get it! Can't you see that the world  _ isn't a fairytale- _

**KEEPER**

_ Of course I can!!! _

_ (Deep breaths.) _ Of course. I can see that. But doesn't that drive you insane? Doesn't how  _ dark  _ and  _ grim  _ everything is make you want something more?? Is it  _ so much to ask,  _ that when presented with a harmless fairytale, a manifestation of the supernatural that it truly hurts no one to believe in, that I can have just a  _ bit _ of  _ blind faith??? _

I can pretend fairytales are real. I can believe it. And I can't believe I'll last more than a week, or that you'll last more than a year… but I can pretend. I can talk with you. Because I… I care about you, Martin. More than I should, given how little we speak.

**MARTIN**

… How do I know that isn't an act as well? That you're not just pretending to care about me to make yourself feel better?

**KEEPER**

You don't. That's where the blind faith comes in handy.

… Would you like to read some of your poetry?

**MARTIN**

… Sure.

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

**SASHA**

Elias! Elias!!!  _ Elias!!! _

[SILENCE]

…  _ Mr. Bouchard! _

**ELIAS**

Yes?

**SASHA**

JESUS!

Where did you even… Come from??

**ELIAS**

The other door.

**SASHA**

Oh. Well uhm. Jon's dying.

**ELIAS**

Oh?

**SASHA**

Yeah. Argenvermi. Showed up out of nowhere, and now he's dying.

[SILENCE]

… And do you have any… Thoughts on that?

**ELIAS**

Oh, I certainly do. But it’s not my business. No use getting pent up over it.

**SASHA**

… Are you  _ fucking kidding me? _

**ELIAS**

I’d ask you not to use such unprofessional language-

**SASHA**

And I’d ask you not to be such… A _ right bitch! _

**ELIAS**

Goodness, Sasha. Is now really the time to stop hiding all those feelings under that mask of aloofness? You’ve been holding up so well so far.

**SASHA**

GOD! What is with you  _ pricks  _ and acting like you  _ know me. _ This is… This is the real me! This is how I act! This is who I am!

**ELIAS**

If you insist. I won’t pry further.

**SASHA**

Would you shut the  _ hell  _ up about  _ "prying"- _

_ (Sasha begins coughing. The same slick, dripping noise follows, the sound of hatched worms sliding up a carrier's throat.) _

…

I'm going now.

**ELIAS**

That would be for the best. The attic's unlocked if you'd like to be alone.

**SASHA**

Yeah.

[SHE STUMBLES OUT THE DOOR.]

**ELIAS**

_ (Deep exhale)  _

… Tick tock Prentiss. 

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

**KEEPER**

Have you gotten a hold of Tim?

**MARTIN**

I've called him three times now. 

**KEEPER**

Ah. Must be dead then. 

The phone, I mean, not Tim.

**MARTIN**

… Right.  _ (Laughs) _

**KEEPER**

Right!

_ (Begins laughing as well) _ See? We've developed our communications skills already. I think we've made good progress here Mr. Blackwood.

**MARTIN**

_ (Full on chuckling now)  _ Well thank you, Doctor Sims! You've been a great help.

**KEEPER**

Wait, hang on, Doctor?

Do I have a doctorate in psychology in this situation, or am I one of those… rubbish Republique TV doctors?

**MARTIN**

Oh, come on Jon! Given the interviews Elias assigns you, you… basically  _ are _ a TV doctor.

**KEEPER**

… Oh my god.  _ (Laughing. Hard.)  _ Oh my god, I'd never thought about it like that! I don't have a doctorate, I get outlandish stories from traumatized individuals who I have  _ no right  _ to be the sole confidant of, I record all my meetings… I  _ absolutely am a TV doctor. _

**MARTIN**

Tune into Channel Thirty at 6:30 this Friday for  _ Doctor Sims!!!  _

[MARTIN LAUGHS. KEEPER LAUGHS. THEY DON'T STOP LAUGHING FOR SOME TIME, UNTIL KEEPER BREAKS INTO COUGHS AGAIN.]

**KEEPER**

… Thank you, Martin. I needed that.

**MARTIN**

No, I… thank you, Jon. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

[THE DISTINCT SOUND OF A PHONE VIBRATING]

Oh! Tim's sent a text!!!

**KEEPER**

Hm?

**MARTIN**

Yeah! Let me…

_ "Jesus fucking christ. It's a goddamn pandemic out here Marty, where the hell are you and Sims?" _

… Oh. Oh no.

**KEEPER**

Wait… is it not just me?

**MARTIN**

No. No it isn't. 

He's… he's said that at least three dozen residents have come down with Argenvermi, all of them rapidly going through the stages. It's… it's like the end of the world outside this room.

[KNOCKING]

… I'll get it.

[FOOTSTEPS. THE DOOR OPENS.]

**TIM**

Fucking. Worms.

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

**SASHA**

I don't know why I'm recording this. I'll… I'll probably end up deleting it, if I'm being honest. Like Elias said,  _ I've done so well so far, _ so I may as well take all my secrets and lies to the grave, right?

… You were right, Jon. I've been hiding a lot. For one, I've been hiding the fact that I'm sick. I wasn't going to be some… _object of_ _pity_ like Martin. I couldn't take that. Not after everything I built up to keep you guys off my back. And now… now I probably infected you too. The one person I really trusted, and… and I've given you a death sentence.

[SASHA IS BREATHING HEAVILY. IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE'S TRYING NOT TO CRY.]

I want to tell you. I really do. But I can't. And the worst part is I can't even tell you  _ why _ I can't tell you. Isn't that the worst thing in the world Jon? A secret inside of a secret?

A secret inside a secret, inside a secret, secret,  _ secret… _

[A SNIFFLE. THEN, FOOTSTEPS, AS SHE BEGINS TO PACE ABOUT THE ATTIC. THE FOOTSTEPS STOP SUDDENLY, AS THOUGH SASHA'S ATTENTION HAS BEEN CAUGHT BY SOMETHING.]

… Oh. Oh hey. The mirror Martin's friends found. It's pretty, actually. It's got like… falcon carvings. Interesting stuff.

… There's… there's something weird about the reflection though. It's… it's the right way round. It's not inverted. And it feels like… Like the reflection's the one that's real. And all I'd have to do is just… just… reach out and...

[THE SOUND OF GLASS SLIDING. A LONG, SUBTLE, SOFT SCREECHING. THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR STEPS OUT.]

**TRUE!SASHA**

… And then! Then, then,  _ then!  _ Then  _ I'd be the one that's real again! _

[TRUE!SASHA LAUGHS. IT'S THE LAUGH OF A WOMAN WHO IS WHO SHE REALLY IS. IT'S A FAMILIAR LAUGH.]

[CLICK]

[CLICK]

**TIM**

I don't know what I'm going to do with myself if you two die, honestly. I know you've got a couple months Martin, but "a couple months" never really lasts that long. And you might be an ass, Sims, but. I dunno, you're an alright boss.

**KEEPER**

… Thank you?

**MARTIN**

Yeah that uh. Did not help?

**TIM**

Oy. I'm trying my best.

… Do you guys hear that?

**KEEPER**

_ (Through coughs.)  _ Hear what?

**TIM**

It's like. Flapping. Like a hell of a lot of… birds? Out in the hallway. Let me see what's up-

[THE WORLD IS A HURRICANE OF WINGS AND FEATHERS. THE FLOCK IS HERE NOW.]

**TIM**

_ CHRIST! _

**KEEPER**

_ (Coughing fit.)  _ Oh my god she's…

[THERE IS LAUGHTER: THE LAUGHTER OF A MAD SCIENTIST WHO WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG. BUT THIS IS NO SCIENTIST. THIS IS A DOCTOR.]

**KEEPER**

_ (Vindicated, awestruck)  _ … She's  _ real.  _

**MARTIN**

_ She's real!!! _

[WHEN PRENTISS SPEAKS, HER VOICE SOUNDS LIKE BIRDSONG. IT IS BEAUTIFUL, AND ALMOST DISARMING.]

**PRENTISS**

Yes, yes, I'm real. Now, shall we get to our appointment?

**KEEPER**

_ (Heavy coughing.)  _ Pl…  _ (More coughing.) _

**PRENTISS**

I'll take that as a yes.

First thing's first… Mr. Stoker, I see you have no need of my services! Very good. However, you haven't been brushing your teeth nearly as much as required, and the importance of oral health  _ cannot  _ be overstated.  _ (Laughs.) _

**TIM**

_ (Sputtering) _ Sorry, wh-

**PRENTISS**

Don't deny it. Moving on…

Mr. Blackwood! I'm glad to see my treatment has been helpful. How have you been feeling since my last visit?

**MARTIN**

… I uhm. Uhm… Better?

… I'm not hallucinating, right? you're real??

**PRENTISS**

Yes, yes, I'm real. Far too many of you in this sanctuary have asked me that.

Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath. This will only take a moment.

[ANOTHER FLURRY OF BIRDS WINGS, AS THE BIRDS DESCEND ON MARTIN, AND AS THEY PECK INTO HIM, HE IS FREED OF THE WORMS.]

**MARTIN**

Oh! God, that tickles!

… Oh my god I feel...

**PRENTISS**

Cured? Yes, you're welcome.

Now. Keeper. I'm reluctant to cure you-

**KEEPER**

_ (Panicked coughing.) _

**PRENTISS**

\- But I can't just leave you dying like that, no. So, deep breaths:

[ANOTHER FLUTTER, ANOTHER CURED MAN.]

… Now. There are other people I must cure on my checklist. Call me if symptoms resurface. 

I'll be seeing you again soon, Keeper.

[ONE LAST FLURRY OF FLAPPING WINGS, AS DOCTOR J. PRENTISS DISAPPEARS INTO HER FLOCK.]

**TIM**

… I… Did everyone see that?

**KEEPER**

… Yes.

**MARTIN**

…  _ (Laughing.) _

**TIM**

What's so funny?

**MARTIN**

Have you-  _ (Giggling.)  _ Have you  _ really  _ not been brushing your teeth?

**TIM**

I- Oh fuck off, I've been  _ busy. _

**KEEPER**

_ (Bursts into laughter. Real, actual laughter.) _

**TIM**

Seriously?? You two just got your lease on life back, and  _ this _ is your top concern??  _ (He starts laughing as well.) _

**MARTIN**

Well, Tim,  _ "the importance of oral health cannot be overstated!" _

**KEEPER**

_ (Almost in tears of joy at this point, his voice returned to silky-smooth condition.)  _ … End recording.

[CLICK]

**Author's Note:**

> SORRY TO CLIFFHANG Y'ALL YET AGAIN BUT. I PROMISE EVERYTHING GOING ON WITH SASHA AND JANE WILL BE EXPLAINED SOON
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, THANKS TO ZYKA FOR HELPING ME TURN THIS INTO SOMETHING READABLE, AND THANK JONNY SIMS FOR MAKING MY FAVORITE SERIES... EVER.
> 
> LOVE YOU GUYS


End file.
